Ribbon Scarf
Our simple Ribbon Scarf in Quartz is both fresh and classic, precisely the extra flourish you want for fall!
You’ll start with a provisional cast on, then just knit-knit-knit in the round to make the long tube. Decreases at the end shape the first triangular tip.
Put the cast-on stitches back on your needles and work the other tip with the same decreases you used for the first one, and voilá!
With its wonderful softness and stunning depth of color, our Quartz is the perfect yarn for this understated knit.
Sixty-five percent merino wool and 35% suri alpaca, Quartz has the best of both fibers, warmth and strength, texture and luster… Beauty in spades.
And now there are nine new colors of Quartz to choose from, including the delicate Peony Pink below.
Can’t decide on your favorite? With its generous yardage, you only need one skein for a Ribbon Scarf, so pick up several and knit this beauty for all your favorite people!
Yarn lovers, if you adore the yarn used in this project, you’ll love exploring all of our other yarn collections! Discover over 45 thoughtfully designed yarns in nearly every natural fiber and in every spectacular color you can imagine. Only available here at Purl Soho’s online yarn store, where every skein is created with care and your creativity in mind!
Designed by Purl Soho designer, Hiromi Glover. See even more of Hiromi’s work on her Instagram!
Share your progress and connect with the community by tagging your pics with #PurlSoho. We can’t wait to see what you make!
Want to print this pattern? On desktop, find the “print” icon in the right margin, and on mobile, scroll to the end of the pattern for it. Use the on-screen instructions to remove anything you don’t want to print!
Materials
- 1 skein of Purl Soho’s Quartz, 65% merino wool and 35% suri alpaca. Each skein of this fingering weight yarn is 420 yards/ 100 grams; approximately 420 total yards required. We used the colors Icicle Blue, Aquamarine Blue, Peony Pink, and Golden Green.
- US 1½ (2.75 mm), double pointed needles or 32-inch circular needles for Magic Loop
- Stitch markers, including one unique
- A small crochet hook and scrap yarn (for Provisional Cast On)
GAUGE
34 stitches and 40 rounds = 4 inches in stockinette stitch
NOTE: We used almost the entire skein of Quartz for this scarf! To avoid running out of yarn, check your gauge.
SIZE
Finished Dimensions: Approximately 2½ inches wide x 68 inches long
NOTES
CONSTRUCTION
You will begin with a Provisional Cast On and knit a long tube in the round, ending with a Triangular Tip. You will then pick up the live cast-on stitches and work the other Triangular Tip.
PROVISIONAL CAST ON
For help with the cast on, please visit our Provisional Cast On tutorial. It also explains how to get the live stitches back onto the needles when you need them!
S2KP (SLIP 2, KNIT 1, PSSO)
Slip 2 stitches together knitwise with yarn in back, knit 1, pass slipped stitches over knit stitch and off right needle. [2 stitches decreased]
For additional help, please visit our s2kp tutorial.
PATTERN
TUBE
With crochet hook and scrap yarn, use a Provisional Cast On (see Notes) to cast 42 stitches evenly onto 3 double pointed needles.
NOTE: Prefer to use Magic Loop? Distribute the stitches equally between 2 needles instead! For more help with Magic Loop, visit our tutorial here.
Joining main yarn…
Set-Up Row: Leaving a 20-yard tail, knit to end of cast-on stitches.
Place a unique marker and join for working in the round, being careful not to twist the stitches.
Knit every round until piece measures approximately 62½ inches from cast-on edge and at least 20 yards remain.
TRIANGULAR TIPS
CONTINUE
Set-Up Round: K21, place marker, knit to end of round.
Decrease Round: [Slip slip knit (ssk) knit to 2 stitches before next marker, knit 2 together, slip marker] 2 times. [4 stitches decreased]
Continuing in stockinette stitch, repeat Decrease Round every third round 8 more times. [6 stitches remain]
Double Decrease Round: S2kp (see Notes), remove markers, s2kp. [2 stitches remain]
Cut yarn and thread tail onto a tapestry needle. Draw needle through remaining 2 stitches, pull taut, and weave in end.
MAKE SECOND TIP
Carefully unravel Provisional Cast On, slipping live stitches onto needles as you go (see Notes).
Place unique marker for end of round and using 20-yard tail, work as for other Triangular Tip.
FINISHING
Weave in ends and gently wet block.
LEARN ABOUT QUARTZ + ALL OUR BEAUTIFUL YARNS
Quartz brings a special glow to this project! A wonderful mix of 65% merino wool and 35% suri alpaca, this fingering-weight yarn is lustrous, radiant, and sumptuously soft. The addition of suri gives this yarn a lovely halo and subtle luminosity, while merino brings strength, elasticity, and of course, beauty. Choose from tons of gorgeous colors you’ll only find at Purl Soho!
More Free Knitting Patterns
- Be sure to explore our collection of (mostly free!) Quartz knitting patterns and cast on!
More Fingering-Weight Yarns
- Shop our entire collection of fingering-weight yarns
- If you want to use a different yarn, be sure to take the time to get the correct gauge. Need help? Check our All About Gauge Tutorial!
More Yarns With Similar Fibers
- Shop merino wool yarn
- Shop suri alpaca yarn
Looking for more inspiration? Explore all of our free knitting patterns and knitting tutorials, buy one of our many knitting kits and yarn bundles, and shop for beautiful yarn. We have over 35 gorgeous natural fiber yarns in 100’s of magnificent colors, designed to bring integrity, beauty, and joy to your next knitting project and only available at Purl Soho!
What would be the length for short cable needles instead of dpns or magic loop?
Cool looking pattern but always have ladders with dpns and still not comfortable with magic loop.
Hi Harriet,
Thanks for reaching out! I’m afraid that it’s not possible to knit this pattern on circular needles without using magic loop, since the finished circumference is only 5 inches around.
There are a few different tricks to avoid laddering when using DPNs though, so I thought I’d let you know my favorite one in case you want to give that method a try. To avoid laddering, just shift the stitches around on your DPNs after every few rounds. This displaces the junctions between needles, so that they fall between different stitches along the length of the sleeve, thus distributing the uneven tension so that it doesn’t all fall in one column.
And if you’re ever curious to learn more about magic loop, I’d recommend checking out our video tutorial, right here.
I hope this helps give you some options to get started knitting!
All the best,
Lili
Lovely pattern. I wanted to see more from this designer but your link only goes to Instagram.
So I don’t know what the other lovely patterns are.
Hi Carol,
We’re so glad to hear that this pattern has caught your eye! You can check out more of Hiromi’s designs on this page.
All the best,
Lili
Do you really mean to leave a 20-yard tail before you begin and after the finish the straight stitching? Or do you mean 20 inches?
Hi Erica,
Thanks for reaching out. A 20-yard tail is correct! You will use the full 20 yards to knit the second tip, in the MAKE SECOND TIP section, once you’ve completed the rest of the scarf. Hope this helps clarify things!
All the best,
Lili
Cant you use 2 circulars?
Hi Sean,
I’m afraid that two circular needles will likely not work for this pattern. The tips of circular needles are generally about 5 inches long (or 3.5 inches, if you have short-tip needles), and those don’t bend. Since the circumference of the scarf is still smaller than the length of two tips combined, you wouldn’t be able to work with the needles properly. You could technically use two circular needles by using them like a magic loop, but it would just be easier to use one long circular needle and do magic loop at that point!
All the best,
Lili
What is Magic loop? Trying to order what I need
Hi RaeJean,
Thanks for asking! Magic loop is a technique for knitting in the round over very small circumferences using a long circular needle. We have a wonderful tutorial on magic loop, which I’d recommend checking out here for a video demonstration!
All the best,
Lili
Hello! The pattern says to use “ US 1½ (2.75 mm)” needles, but I’ve found that US 1½ is 2.5mm and US 2 is 2.75mm. Can you clarify which needle size is needed? Thank you!
Hi Sarah,
Thanks for writing in! The metric sizes we indicate in our patterns might differ from what you’re used to since different needle companies sometimes assign the millimeter measurements to different US sizes. These inconsistencies, while frustrating, are very common when comparing needles, so when in doubt, rely on metric sizes…they’re standardized! And as long as you find needles with which you can achieve the correct gauge, those will work for the pattern!
All the best,
Lili
Hello, Sarah,
May I ask which needles did you go with? I am unsure if I should use US 1.5 (2.5mm) or US2 (2.75mm). I think I like the US 1.5 better. I got two skeins just in case. Just asking. Thank you!
Hello,
The pattern calls for US 1½ (2.75 mm), but when I went to select the bamboo needles on your website, US 1½ is listed as 2.5mm… and rather US 2 is listed as 2.75mm. Which one should I select?
Thank you so much 🙂
-Michele
Hi Michele,
Thanks for writing in! The metric sizes we indicate in our patterns might differ from what you’re used to since different needle companies sometimes assign the millimeter measurements to different US sizes. These inconsistencies, while frustrating, are very common when comparing needles, so when in doubt, rely on metric sizes…they’re standardized! And as long as you find needles with which you can achieve the correct gauge, those will work for the pattern!
All the best,
Lili
Nothing against Quartz, but with Nigh DK on sale, I’d like to use it for this pattern. Assuming I can get the gauge, how many skeins would you recommend?
Never mind on the Nigh DK skein question: I see you used 420 yards so I can figure it out.
I made the Sophie Scarf in nigh DK and love it. As I was knitting it though, I kept thinking of your skinny scarf in stockinette instead of garter.
Hi Val,
Thanks for writing in! I see you were able to figure out the answer to your question but if you should need anything else, please let us know!
Happy knitting,
Gavriella
For those who are asking if you can use circular needles to make this scarf, there are 9-inch-long circular needles. I use those to knit socks. I’ll use them to knit the 68-inch long tube. Then, I’ll work the tips as instructed.
Best tutorial video on how to do “MagicLoop”. Thank you Purl Soho for your videos and great customer support!
Hello-
Do you have a cashmere that would work for this pattern? Thank so much,
Janna
Hi Janna,
We do! This pattern was designed for a fingering weight yarn, so either Echo Cashmere or Nigh Fine would be great choices.
All the best,
Lili
Hello, I have now reached the decrease part for the points, and I am not sure I understand the decrease instructions properly. It seems to me that both decreases (ssk and k2tog) are done on the same half of the scarf: at the beg. of the tour and then before the marker? Is this correct? If so, there will be 17 stitches left between beg of tour and marker and 21 between marker and end of the tour. Additionally, for the second tip of the scarf, instructions say one marker only is necessary (beg of tour), so not sure again how to follow instructions .. unless, all decreases are made just before and right after the marker placed to mark middle of the tour (21 stitches) and I should ignore the marker I used from the beg. to mark the beg. of the tour. Thanks in advance for your reply !
Hi Sophie,
Thanks for writing in, and I’m happy to help explain how the pattern works!
You will be working two decreases each on exact opposite sides of the scarf. You work the first ssk after the end-of-round marker, then you work the first k2tog before the next marker. Then you work the second ssk directly after this same marker, and finally the second k2tog right before the end-of-round marker. This makes it so that you have a k2tog and an ssk right next to each other on either side! You will end up with 19 stitches on each half of the scarf since you are decreasing 2 stitches in each section of stitches between the markers.
In answer to your other question, you will actually end up with two markers for the second tip as well! When you repeat the TRIANGULAR TIPS section, you begin by repeating the very first instruction, which is “Set-Up Round: K21, place marker, knit to end of round.” That way, you will place the second marker exactly where it needs to be!
All the best,
Lili
Thank you so much Lili for the explanations!
Sophie